The last 10 years we've been in full-time ministry, with most of that time spent in student ministry. My wife (Shawna) and I grew up in northeast Ohio and spent time in both Indiana and Nevada before landing back in Ohio for the past seven years. The last four years have been spent at Riverwood Chapel in Kent, Ohio — first in student ministry, then in another leadership role over our services and operations.

Along the way, we found ourselves wrestling through what might be next: a calling toward more of a lead pastor role, while also carrying a desire to plant. We weighed out what planting might look like, but it just didn't seem possible, so we set that aside.

Unknown to us, God was already working — through another group of people at another church in Ohio who had been praying and planning to plant a church in Key West, Florida.

In March, we were asked if this was something we'd ever consider. Our first thought was that while we'd always tried to stay open-handed about what might be next, this wasn't something we'd ever actually considered. After a lot of prayer, counsel, and God working in ways we couldn't have orchestrated ourselves (a story for another time), He brought us to a place where we could not say no.

Now here we are, about to enter a new chapter.

— Tim Keller

So what happens now? We're in the process of saying goodbye at Riverwood — a place that has been home, and a place we love, filled with family. Our last day will be July 31st.

From there, our next step is to go on staff at Heartland Community Church in Medina, Ohio, which will be our sending church. This will be a season of preparation and training for planting in Key West. Our plan is to spend the next nine months to a year in this space, with a move to Key West in spring/summer of 2027.

From there, we'll begin meeting people, building a team, and preparing for launch.

This isn't something we're building alone, and honestly, we don't want to. A church plant is a shared project from the very beginning — it takes prayer, people, and time from a lot of hands before there's ever a building or a first Sunday service.

So here's how you can be part of it, wherever you're starting from:

Pray. This is the foundation everything else stands on. Pray for wisdom as we plan, for the right people to come alongside us, for open doors in Key West, and for the people who don't know yet that they're looking for this. Praying people are the backbone of every church plant that's ever taken root.

Come for a week. Short-term trips matter more than people think. Whether it's helping with a launch event, serving alongside us for a few days, or just coming to see what's happening firsthand, a week of your time can move this project forward in ways that are hard to do from a distance.

Come for a month. If you've got more flexibility — a sabbatical, remote work, a season between things — a month gives you time to actually dig in. Help us build systems, serve the community, get to know the people we're trying to reach.

Come for a year. Some of you might be in a season where a longer commitment makes sense. A year in Key West means becoming part of the rhythm of this church as it's forming, not just visiting it.

Move here. And for some of you, this might be the nudge toward something bigger — relocating, planting roots, and becoming part of the core team building this church for the long haul.

Wherever you land on that spectrum, the first and most important step is the same: stay close, stay praying, and stay with us as this unfolds. Subscribe to follow along, and we'll keep you posted every step of the way.

1 Corinthians 3:6

Key West sits just 90 miles from Cuba — closer to Havana than it is to Miami. It's the final island in a chain of more than 1,700 that make up the Florida Keys, connected to the mainland by the Overseas Highway, a 113-mile road that includes the famous Seven Mile Bridge stretching out over open ocean.

The island itself is only about four square miles, but it's home to roughly 25,000 year-round residents — making it one of the most densely populated small towns in America. Add in the tourists, and on any given day there are far more people moving through those four square miles than the population alone suggests.

It's a city shaped by water on every side, and a community that's used to people passing through. That's part of what makes it such a unique place to plant a church — everyone here is either looking for home, or already convinced they've found it.

In Key West, as it is in heaven.